Dubiously Disabled: Our compassion is being stolen, one parking space, one wheelchair at a time

National Review ^ | 05/01/2013 | Lee Habeeb

[Texas Eagle]

With all the people who are on “disability” these days, I’m surprised 90% of parking spaces aren’t reserved for “the handicapped.”

[US Navy Vet]

Ah Yes ADA, yet ANOTHER Bush infliction on the United States.

[US Navy Vet]

How CONVIENIENT the this RINO/GOP-e JACKA$$ doesn’t even mention George HW Bush’s ADA.

[oprahstheantichrist]

"As I pass the handicapped parking spaces...."

Ex-hubby used to call them "Parking for A--holes."

[Mike Darancette]

Where I live there is a pretty big concentration of professional atheletes. Many really nice cars with handicapped stickers. Also there are the really jacked up pick up trucks with handicapped stickers. If they can climb into the truck cab thhey can walk n extra 20’.

[jrg]

I'm sure that when people see my family pull up and park in a handicapped place, they think the same thing. We look like a perfectly healthy group. However, my son, who is now 24 and special needs, has had uncontrolled epilepsy from the time he was 7. We deal with daily seizures, some of which are mild absence seizures, but most which are grand mal. When this occurs out in public, it it much easier to get him out to the car when that car is close to the door.

Just sayin' that all disabilities may not be externally visible (but FAT isn't a disability - FAT should have their own special parking space as far away as possible so that they can "walk it off")

;^)

[BBell]

ADA? Would that be the Attorneys Dreams Arrived act.

[MrB]

Indeed - I mostly sneer when I see someone pull into a handicapped parking place in a big ol’ welfare wagon and out hops an able-bodied young man.

And, YES, “stereotypes” are based in truth.

[BBell]

Having worked at a walmart I can state that easily half of the people who park in the handicap parking spots are perfectly fine. Most are just fat a$$es.

[absolootezer0]

do you still park in the handicap spots when your son isn’t with you?

[the OlLine Rebel]

I don’t think this is the man who wrote “Disabling America”, which is mostly about how awful the ADA and its ridiculous demands are.

Anyway, we really need to get rid of this nonsense.

[republicangel]

My daughter’s friend is truly handicapped and she gets stares when she gets out of the car. People really need to get a life. Just because you think you can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it’s not there. She will be on an IV with saline running straight through a PICC line for the rest of her life. She has tons of life threatening allergies that have put her in the hospital numerous times. She’s young and thin (too thin) and appears healthy- as long as you don’t look in her backpack- it has her saline bag and her IV is running up her shirt sleeve.

[dagogo redux]

Yep, scandalous.

As a shrink, I tell prospective patients up front that I will not participate in any way in efforts to get any disability or special compensation in legal or employment matters. I am a doctor: I diagnose illness and prescribe treatment. That’s it. My job is to get people well, not get them a government check, or FMLA, or workers’ comp, or a pain and suffering settlement. Their attorney may send for records, and I am required to honor such requests, but that is all.

There is also an unspoken rule at the clinic where I have my practice: we accept Medicare only for people over 65. That weeds out the majority who will fight to the death to stay “sick.” I’m not interested in people who want to stay sick when I can get them well.

“There is no substance more addictive than a monthly check from the government.”

Concerning such government programs: “If you build it, they will come.” The lawyers and the government itself will make sure that that is true.

[AppyPappy]

And for that, she needs a Handicapped sticker?

[Magnatron]

A couple of years ago I pulled into a K-Mart parking lot and in one of the handicap spaces was an SUV that had a bike on a rear mounted rack, and a kayak on the roof.

I’m still scratching my head over that one...

[dennisw]

At least for me...I park far from the store so I get some exercise. Thus this abuse of disabled plates and tags is nasty but I am not affected. I rode with a friend recently who was sick a year ago so got the tags..but he is still using them now that he is well. Cheap lazy bast*rd!

[republicangel]

Well she also has Cystic Fibrosis and the IV is needed for her heart condition. She can’t walk more than 20 feet without getting out of breath. I think if it was you, you would want a handicap sticker. I’m starting to realize why I quit coming to this website a few months ago. Most are a bunch of heartless a$$holes.

[al_c]

Perfectly APPARENTLY healthy human beings with handicapped-parking decals spring out of their cars and happily stroll right by me.

There ... corrected the sentence. This person is judging on appearances only. The person getting out of the handicap vehicle could very likely have a heart condition that limits the distance they can walk. Not all disabilibities are visible, nor do all make one walk like Quasimoto.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Same applies for many of the people who drive around Walmart in the motorized carts.

I was behind one rather portly lady who drove up to the Express (20 items or less) checkout in her power wheelchair, and I counted as the clerk removed not 20 but 42 separate items and placed them on the belt.

The customer dropped a penny on the floor, and I saw her leap out of the chair and bend completely over to pick it up, evidently none worse for the effort.